OCTOBER 27, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015, 1:33 PM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
As the November vote on the non-binding referendum question regarding the construction of a parking garage on the Hudson Street lot approaches, the village held its first of two parking forums last Wednesday night.
After a presentation by representatives from Desman Design Management and S&L Architecture regarding the latest garage renderings and another by Chief Financial Officer Bob Rooney and Financial Advisory Committee chair Nancy Johansen, the public was free to speak with the officials one-on-one in a more informal setting.
Mayor Paul Aronsohn began the meeting by giving background on how the village got to this point.
Aronsohn said the Hudson Street lot was chosen because the village already owns the land, and it is near the train station as well as many of the downtown restaurants. Environmental and site surveys were completed before design and architectural firms were hired to bring the proposal for the garage to the table.
A non-binding referendum question will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot asking residents if they support building a deck and bonding up to $15 million in public funds. The garage is expected to be paid for entirely through parking revenues.
There is no way this will be paid for through parking revenues.This is all pie in the sky bs.
Just. Too. Big.
After 88 years of studies by both professionals and residents all of which concluded there is a need for additional parking in the CBD let’s just build the darn thing and move on to more current issues like the multi-family housing.
The artist’s drawing is so peaceful looking. No on street parking, no Mt. Carmel with a fenced in playground. Too bad it’s so far from reality!
Read the article. No on street parking because they’re going to narrow Hudson street to cram another 100 spaces in. That raises capacity from 250 to 350 spaces. Again, what utilization is required for this to pay its way? If it stays empty, the debt service presumably goes onto our tax bill.
Really, 88 years of parking studies.They did a study in 1929?
I’ll just go with the current study done in 2015 that shows operating costs for the new parking deck are about equal to increased revenue from the new parking deck. That’s before the $750,000 in debt service that apparently gets paid with pixie dust and won’t cost the taxpayers anything. We now live in a world where facts no longer matter, only spin.
Important to let everyone know to get out next week and vote NO!!!
yes, the drawing does look pretty. Too bad it doesn’t show the Knights of Columbus, Vintage 61 and the Vacuum store being dwarfed by it. It’s too big for that location. Just say NO!
Your right 11:49. If you look a the drawing submitted to the planing board by some of the other developers of the CBD they never show you the drawing with the surrounding building include. There is no way to judge the size or scale with out comparing them with building that they are next to.
Parking utility makes just over one million dollars a year with a profit of about &160,000 so i see this as a burden that the taxpayer is going to pay for. This is going to be the same debacle as village hall. VOTE NO!
AT one of the presentations they showed you as you come south on Broad from Ridgewood ave. Oh my God, it comes into view and it looks for all the world like a freakin’ Cruise Ship. Huge beyond what any of us can comprehend. It is going to be horrible. One deck on top of the current lot, doubles what we have, it is plenty. The developers of this monstrosity will make plenty, as in 15 million and will move on. We will be left with the ugliness, the debt, and all of the mess surrounding the cost, crime, etc. STOP IT NOW
It was asked before but not sure if I ever heard the answer. If this is to be funded by metered parking, what is that money currently used for or is it all from the increases in the already existing parking meters?
The money currently being made from metered parking goes into the general fund to help keep property taxes down. If the garage is built, all of that money will need to be earmarked to cover garage related expenses. Thus, property taxes will rise to offset the loss of parking revenue to the general fund.
Call and email friends and neighbors urging them to vote no on Tuesday and especially to vote at all.
they said they will be doubling the meter rates to $1.00 per hour and raising the cost of parking tickets. I was in Westwood the other day and paid 25 cents for 3 hours! Ridgewood will be a $1.00 for 1 hour!
4:25. Add to it the Park Mobile fee of 35cents. and they plan further increases within a year or so. And they are extending the time from 9am to 98 pm
I don’t like the mobile parking app that they chose.
Raising fees and charging a service fee. This garage is not paying for itself, we are.
That building looks like one of those large developments that you see when heading East on Route 4 in Teaneck or Bogota
Every time I see that drawing I literally feel fear. Maybe it looks too much like a penitentiary. The nerve of them to claim the arches replicate that beautiful old firehouse. Bring back the horses.